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Hart's return pushed to late May, early June

Corey Hart says he wants to come back earlier than expected, but MLB.com looks at some reasons the Brewers may be cautious with the slugger

By Adam McCalvy
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MLB.com |

CHICAGO -- Rehabbing Brewers first baseman Corey Hart's move to the 60-day disabled list made sense, assistant general manager Gord Ash said, because Hart was making steady but slow progress in his recovery from right knee surgery.

As a result of the move from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL, Hart is not eligible to return to active duty until May 30. Back in Spring Training, Hart spoke of returning much earlier than that. But in a recent injury report, "he was talking about it being late May/early June himself," Ash said.

Hart is still strengthening his surgically repaired right knee. He has yet to get on a treadmill.

"Given what he is saying now about his recovery, [the 60-day DL] seems to be more appropriate," Ash said. "I talked to him [on Monday], and he concurs that's a reasonable timeframe, which is what the doctors said all along. The doctor indicated he felt [Hart would be ready at] the end of May, and now Corey is saying the same thing. We didn't want to make that move initially, just in case, but obviously now we have to."

The Brewers had to make the move because they needed to clear space on their full 40-man roster for catcher/first baseman Blake Lalli, who was promoted Tuesday to re-balance the Brewers' bench.

Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brew Beat, and follow him on Twitter at @AdamMcCalvy. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.